Dove, Dogs, and Shotguns

Left-Hand Shotguns are few and far between. Finding one that has any style can be hard and expensive. I’m in the market for an over-under 20 ga. or 28 ga. and am getting frustrated. I listen to my brother going over all his options and I’m stuck choosing between plain and plainer. Currently, I shoot a Remington 1187 Premier automatic. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Remington. It’s been a great shotgun, but when your brother shoots a $3000 Browning and your Dad shoots a $2000 Beretta, well, it makes you dream a little.

I was looking online at Impact Guns website and found  thousands of beautiful shotguns, right-handed shotguns, that is. Here is the gun I’m leaning towards…

The Franchi made combination 20/28 ga. over/under is a real beauty. It weighs less than six pounds and has recoil technology to reduce 44% of felt recoil. A price tag of $2350 makes it expensive but not outrageous. I can only find one thing wrong with this shotgun, I don’t know how it will shoot with my left-handedness. So, now I’m stuck with two choices, buy the gun on my instinct, or drive all over Texas trying to find one I can mount and get a feel for. Really three choices, the third being when to piss my wife off and tell her I’m buying a new hunting dog and shotgun. Oops, she just read it, damn.

For the first several years I shot a Winchester 1300 right-handed pump and never knew what I was missing, until Dad got me the left-handed 1187. My score at the skeet range instantly improved by 5 clays. My confidence in the field was off the chart and it showed in my bird bag. So I know that a shotgun can make a huge difference and I don’t want to make a $2300 mistake.

The bottom line is, if your looking for a good left-handed automatic shotgun, buy a Remington 1187 Premier. If your looking for an upgrade to the Remington, one that will compete with the nicer right-handed models…………….YOUR SCREWED., just like me.

Time to RELOAD!

Dove, Dogs, & Shotguns

• Shooting, mind over matter        Shooting a shotgun is as much mental warfare  as it is fundamentals. This past Saturday my brother, my dad, my two oldest sons, andI went to the skeet range. We decided to shoot a round of trap since the skeet range was packed. All of us ,except Dad, had......
• Shooting Fundamentals Shooting Fundamentals        The fundamentals of shooting a shotgun are vital to becoming a successful dove hunter. There are many things that contribute to actually hitting the target. In our previous article about avoiding mental breakdowns we talked about how to keep your mind from getting in the way of......
• A bad mount can ruin your day Mounting your shotgun is vital to successful shooting. It is also vital to being able to shoot numerous rounds. I've found myself with bruises on my shoulder and cheek bone from not placing the gun in the shoulder pocket correctly, or not holding the shotgun tight enough. My article on shooting......

• More Hunting Terms Blind Planter - This is a name for the person that places the bird or the bumper at a designated spot for the purpose of a blind retrieve. Blink - This describes the situation when the dog locates the bumper or the bird during the retrieve but does not actually......
• Bottom Line Secrets Magazine, a Scam? I recently received a sample issue of the Bottom Line Personal magazine. The tag line states: "Bottom Line makes you Healthier, Wealthier, Wiser... Happier too." With headlines touting such things as the "Millionaire's secret to retiring richer faster", my scam alarm was ringing loudly. Secret # 1. How to......
• 3 Things to Remember When Selling Coin Proofs Coin collectors are always on the lookout for a great deal that they can get on the coins that they want to buy. If you are in the market to sell your coins, you have an advantage. One of the advantages that you have is that you have something that......